Just got my first A2000! :)

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Amiga 2000 restoration project coming along nicely.  Still needs a lot of work but at least it's running again.  Yes, it is packed full of blue LED's, and the trackball lights up red when you spin it.  Dork-dork-dork.  

Unfortunately it seems that even after cleaning the heck out of my motherboard and installing one of those AmigaKit coin battery adapters, it's not keeping time.  I can set the time and save it, but when I turn it off and back on again the time just comes up to whatever it was that I originally set it at (like it's stuck in the past), or occasionally some random time.  I'm going to try to check it a little more, but on the off-chance does anyone have a 6.4 or 6.5 motherboard with no battery damage they'd like to sell?  It can be completely stripped of chips because I've already got all those, but an undamaged late revision would be nice, or tips to repair this one?  I've got a spare 4.4 that works but would rather not step back to such an older one just for a working clock, LOL.    Thanks!!

[motrucker]

You really don't want to use the 4.x motherboard. It will drive you crazy. Try trouble shooting what you have first. Do you have a good schematic?
If not, DLH may well have one on line.
Good luck....

[gertsy]

......
Unfortunately it seems that even after cleaning the heck out of my motherboard and installing one of those AmigaKit coin battery adapters, it's not keeping time.  I can set the time and save it, but when I turn it off and back on again the time just comes up to whatever it was that I originally set it at (like it's stuck in the past), or occasionally some random time.  I'm going to try to check it a little more, but on the off-chance does anyone have a 6.4 or 6.5 motherboard with no battery damage they'd like to sell?  It can be completely stripped of chips because I've already got all those, but an undamaged late revision would be nice, or tips to repair this one?  I've got a spare 4.4 that works but would rather not step back to such an older one just for a working clock, LOL.    Thanks!!

Don't think its necessary to revert to an older MB just for the clock.
Key point is: If your machine is keeping time fine when it is running then there is nothing wrong with the RTC. It is most likely that the RTC chip isn't happy with 3v battery of the replacement 2032 kit.  If you have an old portable phone battery 3.6v you might try that. My old A2000 was fine with a 3v coin battery but my new one isn't. The RTC needs 3.6 v. 3v only is sometimes not enough in my experience.
You've done heaps of good work don't throw it away. Try one of these first:http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/NEW-LIR2032-LITHIUM-ION-3-6V-RECHARGEABLE-COIN-CELL-BIOS-BACKUP-CMOS-BATTERY-/140705458330?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20c2b2e89a. If that doesn't work check the continuity of the tracks from the RTC chip to the battery.

[zipper]

The chip needs just about 2.2V - my first A500 memory board had just a 2.4V Varta battery and worked for years.

[Lozspd4]

Don't think its necessary to revert to an older MB just for the clock.
Key point is: If your machine is keeping time fine when it is running then there is nothing wrong with the RTC. It is most likely that the RTC chip isn't happy with 3v battery of the replacement 2032 kit.  If you have an old portable phone battery 3.6v you might try that. My old A2000 was fine with a 3v coin battery but my new one isn't. The RTC needs 3.6 v. 3v only is sometimes not enough in my experience.

You've done heaps of good work don't throw it away. Try one of these first:http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/NEW-LIR2032-LITHIUM-ION-3-6V-RECHARGEABLE-COIN-CELL-BIOS-BACKUP-CMOS-BATTERY-/140705458330?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20c2b2e89a. If that doesn't work check the continuity of the tracks from the RTC chip to the battery.

Hi i Had the same Problem with the coin battery from amigakit with my A2000 it turn out that if heated to long when soldering the track at the back of the coin cell on the board looses contact which might have happened to you as well,i had to by a new one and use a very short solder time to make sure i didn,t damage the back of the coin battery board, which i think is what happened in you case i hope, check the tracks from the soldering points for the battery on the motherboard to the rtc clock if they have no breaks then its the coin battery that is defect. GOOD LUCK.

[Tenacious]

...  If you have an old portable phone battery 3.6v you might try that.  

If that doesn't work check the continuity of the tracks from the RTC chip to the battery.

I use rechargeable 3.6VDC phone batteries, too.  I remotely mount them so they can't damage the MB if they leak.  Food for thought.

Are you handy with a meter?

[guest3110]

Hi Mike,
Pull the motherboard, all socketed chips, and neutralize the battery acid (with Apple vinegar or citrus).

Wash it with distilled water.

Dry it off.  

I put baking soda on the are and let it sit, then rewash the board.

I can see the Baking Soda (it's alkaline--should neutralize acid), but Vinegar or citrus? Those are, themselves, acidic in nature.

Maybe a little distilled water with the Baking Soda to make a paste and then gently clean it  (light scrub) with a soft, soft toothbrush.

[guest3110]

It's very much a work in progress still.  Here's a pic of the PSU while I was testing the new fan.  

Of course it looks like AmigaKit is sold out again on the Indivision ECS.  Rats, and they just got some in a few days ago.  Should've ordered sooner!  :-/

(Jim Carrey voice) "The fan is BLUE!... The freakin' fan...is...BLUE!"
:roflmao:

[guest3110]

Unfortunately it seems that even after cleaning the heck out of my motherboard and installing one of those AmigaKit coin battery adapters, it's not keeping time.  I can set the time and save it, but when I turn it off and back on again the time just comes up to whatever it was that I originally set it at (like it's stuck in the past)

An Amiga stuck in the past? Whoever heard of such a thing?

Oh. Wait...nevermind (runs)

[gertsy]

I can see the Baking Soda (it's alkaline--should neutralize acid), but Vinegar or citrus? Those are, themselves, acidic in nature.

Maybe a little distilled water with the Baking Soda to make a paste and then gently clean it  (light scrub) with a soft, soft toothbrush.

NiCad batteries contain acid?  
Nickel Hydroxide plate, cadmium electrode and alkaline electrode. Not sure what's doing the oozing but it's obviously corrosive (oxidizes.) i'm not sure there's anything in there that's an acid though.
But baking soda is a great cleaner for acids or bases in any case and it doesn't stink.
As long as you remove any residue. Your teeth are a good example of how good it is.

@Zipper.  My experience with A2000s has taught me that sometimes 3v just aint enough.  But I'd check the RTC chip with a volt meter to see what voltage is getting to it from the battery.  As it might be the battery, socket, bad solder joint, bad track, or a partial short that is causing the problem.

[Tenacious]

Mike

Do you need an A2000 schematic?

I have the one for Rev 6.  It's 12 pages!

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Thanks everyone!

@gertsy - I ordered two of those batteries today.  Fingers crossed that that's all I need!

@Lozspd4 - Ugh, I hope I don't have that problem!  Although I'll admit to leaving the soldering iron on there a bit long, I wanted to make sure it was solid.    On the bright side I ordered two of the AmigaKit battery kits "just in case"(TM), so I have a spare.

@Tenacious - schematics would be great!  Do you have them somewhere I could download, or can you email them to me at ******@**********?  The only ones I've been able to find online so-far are ones for the A4000, which have been less than helpful.  :-/

If the replacement battery doesn't solve the problem it sounds like it's time to pull the board again and check the trace going from the battery to the clock chip.  I'm assuming it's just one line somewhere, and once I've identified that I should just be able to measure for 3V at whatever pin on the clock chip, correct?  And if I'm getting less than that, or no voltage, and the AmigaKit kit isn't the problem, I can just run a bypass wire?  Seems simple enough. 

**shakes my fist at the sky in the direction of C= designers who went with these leaky batteries, LOL**

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

On an interesting side note, I notice the PCD-60B card reader in my A500 is getting about 2100K/sec with a 133x Transcend 4GB card in a GVP sidecar, and the PCD-60B in my A2000 is only getting about 1700K/sec with a 600x Transcend 8GB card hooked up directly to my 040 board.  Still need to troubleshoot that down and check my MaxTransfer and buffers, etc., as I'd expected the 2000 to be much faster.  Of course my 040 card is also running an older version of the GVP ROM, just received the latest ROM from TJLazer today, need to put that in and see if it helps.  It did in my A500.  

[Tenacious]

@Tenacious - schematics would be great!  Do you have them somewhere I could download, or can you email them to me at CompTechMike at gmail dot com?  The only ones I've been able to find online so-far are ones for the A4000, which have been less than helpful.  :-/


**shakes my fist at the sky in the direction of C= designers who went with these leaky batteries, LOL**

Mike


We only had time to scan the 8th page for now.  If something else is vital to your project, we can scan that too.  Soon, I hope to scan the whole thing and upload it to some place logical.

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Got it, thanks!    That definitely will help if I need to start tearing her back down.

Another side note - it looks U801 Buster has a pin labeled "_BEER"?  Oh you silly, silly C= engineers.  

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Indivision ECS arrived today so I figured I'd check the battery while I had her open again.  If I understand the diagram Tenacious sent correctly this is a fairly simple circuit (keeping in mind I'm no electrical engineer).  Voltage should flow from the two positive terminals on the battery through the resistor at R803 and into the U801 clock chip.  I'm assuming the clock chip needs 3V, or close to it.  Actually the factory battery is marked as 3.6V on the diagram.

So with my multimeter I measured 2.9 volts directly between battery positive terminal and case ground, and 2.63 between R803 and ground.  If I understand correctly this is telling me I've got some degradation in the voltage along those tracks, but not much.  So logically thinking, If I put in one of those higher output batteries I should be fine, what do you guys think?  Or am I just totally off-base?  Haha.  

*disclaimer - am sure I'll wind up frying something!